Welcome to the Real World
by Missie DuCaine
Summary: INDEFINITELY ABANDONED. The saga of Pheonix and Saber, ameteur computer hackers, and their agentreprogramming, wallwalkingthrough, madcap adventures. Chapter One has been fixed! Ie. No more errors or missing parts!
1. Default Chapter

Welcome to the Real World  
  
Disclaimer: This story is based on the movie The Matrix starring Keanu Reeves. After watching this movie with my friend, we sat and discussed for some time whether our 'reality' really is reality or not. I can promise you, in all truth, that the conversation between the Heathers really did, at least in our matrix, occur. Other than that, we'll leave the deciding up to you.  
  
Trinity leaned over Neo's shoulder to see what he was working on. "So what exactly is this thing supposed to do?"  
Neo continued to type on the computer, his eyes on the screen as lines of complex code streamed by. "This program will implant a device in all copies of the tape, which will allow us to monitor any conversations regarding the Matrix."  
Trinity gave him a skeptical look. "And how do you expect to be able to do that?"  
"It's a highly sensitive 'bug'," he explained, his eyes never leaving the screen. "It'll pick up conversations up to a mile away. We can use it to tag anyone who seems a likely prospect to be pulled out."  
"So how do you get the right conversation? You don't want it to be picking up useless conversations. It won't do us any good."  
"True." He finally pushed back from the computer, and eyed the other. "It has special keywords, like 'matrix' and 'reality'. If the conversation doesn't show up with anything productive after an hour, it automatically shuts down until the next time the keywords are heard."  
Trinity shrugged. "Let's hope it works."  
Neo smiled slightly. "Oh, it will. It will."  
  
***  
  
"Wow," Heather sighed as her friend ejected the movie from the VCR. "That was an awesome movie. I loved it!"  
Her friend, oddly enough, also named Heather, grinned. "I know. I've seen it so many times I've practically got it memorized."  
The first Heather, Heather Morgan, laughed. "I love that line, 'Okey Dokey'. Ha! That was great! I really thought he wasn't gonna be able to do it, though, at one point."  
"What, jump onto the building?" Heather Cares pushed her auburn hair out of her eyes. "Of course he couldn't do it then. He didn't believe he could do it, so he couldn't."  
"No," the other disagreed, shaking her head so her reddish gold hair flew everywhere. "I mean that battle. The oracle said he wasn't the One. I felt so let down, like it was me that wasn't the One."  
"Oh, I know," the second sighed. "I was so let down the first time I saw it. I mean, think about it-Morpheus believes in Neo so resolutely, and so does everyone else, and here Neo believes that he's not worth the bother, because of what she said."  
"It's true though," the first said as they walked down the hall. "It was was exactly what he needed to hear."  
"Yeah," Heather C. nodded. "It was neat."  
"Y'know, though, it does make you think."  
"How so?"  
Heather M. settled herself onto the mattress that sat on the floor. She was silent for a moment, and when she did speak, it was slowly, which was quite odd for her. "Well, y'know, what if the Matrix is real? No, wait, I mean, what if Neo and them are really escapees from the system, and we really are batteries for machines? What if our reality isn't really reality?"  
"Hmm." Heather C., older than the other's 16 years by 5 more, sat down slowly. "That's really deep. What if it is?" She sighed and leaned back against the wall. "I don't know. Sometimes I've wondered about it myself."  
"Sometimes, I think my life is really a dream, and someday I'm gonna wake up to discover that my life was nothing but my subconscious shifting and processing information."  
The elder laughed. "That would explain alot. But seriously, there have been people who've wondered about that for centuries. There was this philosopher who asked, 'What if my life is someone else's dream? What happens to me when they wake up?'"  
"Ohh," The younger teased. "Now you're talking deep."  
Heather C. laughed, and for a moment, there was silence, the elder idly stroking her cat, Tigger.  
Finally, Heather M. broke the silence. "But what if it is true? I'd rather have the truth."  
"Even when it's like that?" the other queried.   
"I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't. I mean, I couldn't just live a lie. I'd need the truth!" she slammed her fist into the mattress, which bounced, not quite giving the desired effect.   
The other looked off into the space. "I agree. We're part of that group that's young enough to accept the truth. I couldn't live without it."  
"Yeah. That's the question, isn't it? What if...?"  
  
  
***  
  
Heather sat at the computer screen in the school library, her fingers flying as she watched the screen. No one around her was paying any attention to the ordinary girl with glasses. She logged onto a web site with the name 'Pheonix', and typed in an entry. Her search object-a man named Morpheus. Her eyes followed the letters that flashed across the screen, and she stopped at an article. It was written by someone named 'Saber', and it was a request for information regarding Morpheus.  
Curious, Pheonix, as she was now known, clicked on the link titled 'contact me' and ran over the parameters. 'Clever,' she thought. 'They aren't taking any chances. The email address is anonymous on a free internet connection, and any chat room location is completely garbled.' Looking to see that the librarian wasn't watching, she logged into the one chatroom, and with a few well-used codes, hacked into the system. As she watched the results, she realized with surprise that the programmer was so high-tech that Pheonix herself couldn't even get in. 'How is that possible?' she wondered. 'Only one other person knows those codes, and that's...'  
She stopped, then with a grin, typed in, 'Hey Tweety! How's it going?'  
There was no response for a moment, then a savage reply came back: 'Who are you?!?'  
Pheonix grinned in the light of the screen, and typed back, 'Only Pheonix, the world's most creative hacker, who taught you those codes your using to cover your tail.'  
The reply came back instantly. 'Heather! Well, son of a gun! Found anything out?'  
Pheonix laughed, but quietly, so as not to attract attention. 'Sorry, Cares. Nothing. You seem to be doing pretty well yourself, though.'  
'Ha! Not a thing. Oh-and that's Saber, now.'  
'Ah,' Pheonix wrote. 'Well I am Pheonix. Fits. But-you've found nothing?'  
The reply was short. 'Nothing.'  
'Well, that could be a good thing.' Pheonix looked around furtively. 'At least the agents haven't got you. Another hacker went missing this week. "Viper". Remember him?'  
'Sure. Have you heard from Rafe either? He hasn't been online.'  
'Odd,' Pheonix wrote, her puzzled face lit eerily by the screen. 'He's always on. Always.'  
'Yeah, I know. You know, we really ought to get together. Call you sometime.'  
'Good idea. I'd probably better scram before the librarian notices. See ya.'  
'Bye.'  
With that short message, the screen suddenly went blank, dark green. Pheonix tilted her head as she looked at the screen, and quickly ejected her disc. She put it in the small black container in her purse that she always carried, and looked at the screen. Suddenly, in brilliant green, letters appeared. '...be careful...'  
Without pause, Pheonix typed back, 'Why?'  
After a moment, the letters came across her screen again. 'The agents...they're always watching'  
Pheonix grinned. 'Yeah, I kinda got that impression.'  
A few seconds passed, then the original message repeated itself. '...be careful...'  
Then the screen went black.  
  
***  
  
Several uneventful weeks went by, and even though both girls now knew about the strange incident with the computer, neither could come up with any answers. So they continued their hacking, their searching. As far as they could see, they weren't getting anywhere. As others saw it, they were getting too close to the truth.  
  
***  
  
Saber stood, once again disguised as Heather Cares, behind the deli counter at the Sarinia Anpaa. Her mind wasn't really on her work, but she smiled to everyone as they passed, but as she looked up, her smile froze. Approaching the counter was her boss, accompanied by two men. They wore dark suits, reflective sunglasses, wire taps in their ears. The stereotypical FBI agent look.   
Saber froze. For a moment, her brain simply wouldn't work, then she was jolted into action. She turned, and darted into the back room, leaving the woman she'd been serving to yell angrily after her. Pushing her way past the other workers in the back, she darted out into the brilliant morning sunlight, blinking. She glanced back once to make sure no one was following her, then dashed to her car. She slid into the front seat, and taking a deep breath, turned the key, praying silently that it'd turn over the first time.  
Amazingly, it did, and she gratefully let out the breath she'd been holding. She slammed it into gear, and tires squealing, peeled rubber out of the parking lot. She hit the highway, and kept glancing in the reiwview mirror to make sure she wasn't being followed. She wasn't, so she set course for the first place she could think of. Lulnen. Pheonix's hometown.  
  
  
***  
  
Pheonix pulled her prune-wrinkled hands out of the soapy dishwater, and picked up her glass. She lifted it to her lips and looked out the glass case in front of her into the coffee shop. As she did so, she nearly chocked on her water when she saw who was standing at the 'til. Spluttering, she dropped her cup into the sink and darted for the back of the kitchen. "Be right back," she said indistinctly to whoever might hear her.   
For she'd just seen three men in suits and reflective glasses speaking in even, calm voices to her boss.  
She barreled down the basement stairs, and raced through the door into the hall that separated the basement and the back stairs. She paused for a moment, then did the first thing that came to her mind. She darted into the garbage room.   
That was hardly the smartest thing she could have done, seeing as this door, which was only closable from the outside, hid the rank closet where the black garbage bags were kept while they waited to be picked up. She stumbled back onto the pile of smelly sacks, and tried desperately to hold her breath, but the odour permeated her very pores.   
Her only plan, which really wasn't a plan at all, but a desperate attempt to buy time, was to wait in her until the agents left, or maybe went outside, thinking that that was where she had gone. A few moments later, she could here her boss's voice drifting down the stairs towards her. She clutched the door as tightly closed as she could, and held her breath.   
"They said she went downstairs, oh she probably just went outside or something, she had to dump the boxes, see..."  
Pheonix was suddenly very glad that she'd thought to dump the boxes only minutes before.  
The agent's voice broke in. "We'll wait here for her. You can return to your regular activity."  
There was a shuffling before her, and when Pheonix peeked through the hole where the door knob once was, she could see two agents, their backs to her, standing directly in the way of her escaping either up or out. She leaned back on the plastic bags and racked her brains for a means of escape. Then it came to her. Watching the Matrix, hadn't they often repeated that since reality wasn't reality at all, shouldn't she be able to walk through walls and the like?   
She stood up, and closed her eyes, and whispered softly, "The spoon is not there." With a leap of faith, she stretched her hands out in front of her-just in case- and stepped forward.   
And kept going.   
It was true-the wall wasn't there. Oh yes, she could see it, but she was now standing in the storage room, which was separated from the garbage room by a wall, and reasoned "Technically, since there's no door, I HAD to have walked through the wall!"   
She looked at the one wall that stood between her and the hall, where a pay phone hung, tantalizingly close. She shook her head slightly, and said, "So, there's two spoons gone missing." And walked through the wall.  
***  
  
Saber was weaving desperately through the heavy city traffic, when her cell phone rang. For a moment, she hesitated to touch it. Suppose it was the agents? She paused, and in the pregnant silence, the phone rang again, it's shrill voice screaming for attention. Finally, deciding it couldn't be as bad as wondering who it was, she snatched the phone and with a flick of her thumb, hit the 'talk' button. "Hello?" she said tentatively.  
"About time," Pheonix's voice came through, rather tinny, as though it was a bad connection. "You haven't, perhaps, seen a couple guys in dark suits, reflective glasses, the whole kit and kaboodle, on the prowl, have you?"  
"Nice time to warn me, Pheonix," Saber said sarcastically. "In fact, I'm on the run right now."  
She could sense, rather than hear, Pheonix's quiet snicker. "Nice to know I'm not in on this alone. Look, I don't know if you should head this way, there's a few up here."  
"Here too. I figure that up you're way, we can disappear better."  
"Are you sure we shouldn't head for Toronto? We can disappear there pretty quick. Go into the subway and NEVER come out."  
"Ha. Look, I'll be there in-oh-an hour if I speed, and-"  
Pheonix suddenly cut her off. "Gotta go."  
"What-" Saber started, but the connection had already been cut. "That girl, " she growled, and slammed her foot down, and the car shot ahead like a rocket.  
  
***  
  
Pheonix dropped the quarter she'd held poised at the slot in, and dialed a random number, but not long distance so she'd be sure it's work. She then turned, the receiver still held in her hand, though she wasn't listening to the ringings. Instead, she glared at the Agent who stood before her, a sardonic smile on his lips.  
"Clever, Miss Morgan," he said calmly. "But I'm afraid it won't do you any good. If you'd like to come along with me, now..."  
She dropped the receiver, and left it swinging, as the voice on the other end, someone unknown, demanded, "Hello?....Hello?....Is there anybody there?...."  
  
***  
  
  
Saber drove well above the speed-limit, shocked at the lack of traffic. Around every curve she expected to run into a police speed trap, but there was nothing. She was starting to get nervous, but thought that this was maybe just her lucky day. She swung into Lulnen, the streets oddly empty.  
There was a sudden screech, and Saber slammed on the brakes as a black car pulled out directly in front of her. She went to turn around, just in time to see another black car pull in behind her, parked across the road so she couldn't get past. The passenger door of the car before her opened, and an agent stepped out. He opened the passenger door of Saber's car, and she just stared straight ahead in shock as he sat down.   
"If you'd just like to follow the other car, Miss Cares..." he said calmly, and Saber, seeing no other choice, put her car in gear and began to drive.  
  
  
***  
  
  
Pheonix looked up as the door opened, and sighed when she saw Saber being led in. "They got you?" She whispered, and Saber nodded.  
"Well, young ladies, you have an amazing record for two young people." The agent said calmly, dropping two thick file folders on the table in front of them. Definently, they just crossed their arms and glared back. Their reaction seemed to unsettle him slightly, but he continued, unruffled.   
"As you can see, we have a complete file of your various escapades, and you have done remarkably well."  
"Not well enough, obviously," Saber said, a dangerous edge to her voice. "Since you caught us."  
The agent arched an eyebrow. "Interesting. Any other comments while your at it?"  
"Yeah," Pheonix said, leaning forward and leaning an elbow on the table. "You are really boring to listen to, you know that? Droning on in monotone, you could double for my history teacher. Why don't you add a little animation to your speech? Personally, I'd be more creeped put by a perpetually happy FBI agent than a deadpan one. Deadpan's normal. Haven't you ever seen the X-Files?"  
He gave her an odd look. "Beg pardon?"  
Pheonix rolled her eyes. "Why don't you just shut up?"  
The agent's eyes narrowed. "I believe that can be arranged for you," he intoned, his subtle voice taking on a harder edge.   
Pheonix's eyes widened, and she tried to open her mouth, only to find it partially sealed. She looked with horror at Saber, to find her friend had the same problem. A single, desperate thought ran through Pheonix's brain, like a runaway train: There is no spoon. If they can do it to me, I can do it to them.   
Pheonix took a deep breath, and converted every once of energy into concentrated on reversing the effects. For a moment, nothing happened, then she suddenly ripped her lips apart, and the agents touched their mouths in bewilderment as they began to seal up. "Fight it, Saber!" Pheonix screamed, then leaping up, slammed the table over so it toppled onto the agents. As they began to throw it up, Pheonix gasped, "There is no spoon!" Once before running straight at the wall.  
She shot through it, then spun around and gripped the doorknob. It was firmly locked, so she glanced at her army boot clad feet, and shrugged. Rearing back, Pheonix slammed her foot into the door, and it splintered inward, shattering into a thousand tiny pieces. Saber immediately ran through the door, and they looked quickly around the hall.   
"They'll call the alarm soon," Saber gasped.  
"I'll be surprised if they haven't already," Pheonix replied, equally breathless. "Say, what happened to your car?"  
"It's right outside."  
Pheonix raced to the large window, and looked down. They were in an apartment in small town Lulnen, only 2 floors up. Saber's car was parked by the sidewalk, directly below, flanked by two black ones. "Feeling up, or rather, down, to it?" Pheonix asked with a mischievous grin.  
Saber pulled back out of the window. "What are you, crazy?!?"  
Pheonix grinned ferally. "You know it!" With that, she lept out, pulling Saber with her.   
The girls tumbled through the air, landing on the roof of Saber's small car. As they rolled off the roof onto the sidewalk, Saber surveyed the damage. Seeing several dents, she cried, "My car! Look what you did to my car!"  
Pheonix shrugged. "We'll get you a new one. We can do that. Eventually."  
Saber chose to ignore her friend's remark as she slid into the driver's seat. Pheonix hopped in beside her, and looked behind them as the car began to speed along the road. Agents began to pour out of the building, and Pheonix's eyes alighted on one of them. "Say, that agent there. He looks alot younger than the rest of them, don't you think?"Saber grit her teeth and kept driving. "I wouldn't know. I'm trying to drive. "  
"Oh, sorry. But really, he looks about our age. Not a typical agent at all." She turned around in her seat as the car turned the corner. Saber slammed down the gas pedal, and the car shot down the highway, out of town.   
  
***  
"Guys, check this out."   
Morpheus, Trinity, Neo, and their newest team member, a twelve year old named Viper, turned to look at the screen. "What is it, Tank?" Morpheus asked.  
"Agent activity. As in major agent activity. Looks like they've got a couple normals with them too."  
"Normals?" Trinity asked with the slightest of smirks.  
Tank shrugged. "Y'know, ordinary guys."  
"Wait a second," Neo broke in suddenly. "Tank, move over."  
Tank obediently made room for him, and Neo leaned over the computer. "I recognize some of these codes, from the time I deleted that agent. They're somehow reprogramming those agents."  
"You're kidding," Viper gasped.  
"No, and-oh, man..." Neo gasped, and typed furiously on the keyboard. "That's not possible..."  
"What's not possible, Neo?" Morpheus demanded.   
"One of them just walked through a wall," Morpheus said matter-of-factly. "Which shouldn't be possible."  
Morpheus shook his head. "Possible or not, Tank, watch them. Don't you dare let them out of your sight."  
  
***  
  
The girls drove in silence for several minutes, then when they came close to an intersection, Saber automatically clicked on the right turn signal.   
"Where are you going?" Pheonix asked in surprise.   
"Toronto, like you suggested," Saber said through gritted teeth.  
"Wait!" Pheonix cried, and without waiting for a response, took hold of the steering wheel and yanked it to the left. The car skidded around the corner so fast, it left a long, black rubber streak, and the car swayed dangerously on two wheels for a couple tense seconds. Then it righted itself, and raced down the street.   
"What do you think your doing?!?" Saber screamed. "You're gonna kill us!""Nope," Pheonix said calmly, and this time yanked the steering wheel to the right.   
There was another heart-wrenching moment of skidding, then they sped up a steep hill. The car didn't even slow at the stop sign, and Saber gave up trying to wrestle the wheel out of Pheonix's grip. Another two wheel left hand turn, then Pheonix leaned her foot over and slammed on the brakes. The car skidded to a halt, throwing both of them forward in their seats.  
"Your destroying my car!" Saber cried. "This ain't some movie where the hero can't die, you realize!"  
"Of course," Pheonix said calmly, turned the car off, took the keys, then hopped out of the car. "C'mon."  
"Where are you going?!?" Saber demanded, also climbing out. "And give me back my keys!"  
"Later. Right now, we need to get inside." She pointed with her thumb at the huge, dark building that loomed behind her. "E.F. Madwin. My high school."  
Pheonix began to walk up the sidewalk, and Saber hurried to catch up with her. "Uh, technically, wouldn't it be closed right now?"  
"Yep."  
"Then getting inside would mean breaking and entering? As in illegal?!?"  
"Only partly right." Pheonix stopped by the brick wall. "Look, I have now walked through three different walls. You saw me. You also saw that we can control the Matrix, at least partially. If I can do it, so can you. C'mon, through the wall."  
Saber took a step back. "Why, if you don't mind my asking?"  
"We need the internet. I think there's something I came too close to, the other day. It deleted all the files on the school computer. Anyway, no one's noticed yet, but I got another message just before it all quit. I think it was the Matrix."  
"What, the message?"  
"No, what I got too close to. The message was them telling me to back off, that I was meddling in things that weren't my concern. They claimed I'd 'just get in trouble.' I told them it wasn't going to stop me."  
"And if the message senders 'happened' to be Matrix agents?"  
Pheonix shrugged. "Then I'm in trouble."  
Saber shuddered. "Oh yeah, no biggie. Hey-I'll bet that's why those Matrix agents grabbed us this afternoon!"  
Pheonix shook her head. "No way. If it was because of that, they wouldn't've grabbed you, too. You had nothing to do with that incident. There was no way they could've connected you to that. Just the same, though, there's no reason to take unnecessary risks. I'll go in, access the 'net, and you can stay out here and wait for me. Oh, and I'm taking the keys."   
Saber looked around quickly, then shuddered again. "Never mind, I'm comin'."  
Pheonix laughed lightly, then stepped up to the wall, turned sideways, and walked through. Saber shook her head. "You make it look so easy," she muttered. She took a deep breathe, looked the wall up and down, and stepped forward. "There are no rules," she whispered, and stepped through.   
Pheonix pulled her the rest of the way through, and grinned. "Now, that wasn't so hard, was it?"  
Saber shuddered again. "Yeah. Just don't make me do that again."   
Pheonix grinned. "C'mon, computers are this way. I know how to get past the motion detectors. I've practiced, early in the morning, when there ain't many people in here. Trust me, it's not too difficult."  
Together, the two crept across the room, and finally reached the computer area. With a relaxed sigh, Pheonix sank into a chair, and logged into one of the computers. A few well chosen commands, and she was soon surfing the 'net.  
"What are we looking for?" Saber asked softly.   
"This." Pheonix hit the enter key, and the screen suddenly went black. Then, like a cascade, green code began to stream across the screen. "There. The Matrix."  
Saber whistled lowly. "So, what does it say?"  
Pheonix shrugged. "I have no idea, but I have a few theories. The first is this. Do you recognize any shapes or anything in that picture?"  
Saber shrugged. "No."  
Pheonix let her finger trace a shape on the screen. "Don't tell me that doesn't look like North America."  
Saber gasped. "Your right!"  
"And here," Pheonix typed in a few codes. Suddenly the view changed, and Saber whistled.   
"That looks remarkably like this room, Pheonix."  
"Does, doesn't it?" A few keystrokes later, and Pheonix sat back. "Who would've thought," she said slowly.  
Then Saber leaned forward, and using the mouse, highlighted a small blob of code. "Think I should try it?" Saber grinned.  
"Try what?" Pheonix asked warily.   
"This." Saber hit the delete key, and Pheonix let out a shriek as the computer monitor next to them disappeared, as completely as if it had never existed. "Cool," Saber grinned.  
  
***  
  
"Yeow!" Tank cried, making everybody in the room swivel to look at him. "They just went and deleted something!"  
"Deleted something?!?" Morpheus demanded.   
"Just telling ya' what I'm seeing, boss. Those kids just went and deleted something."  
"Contact them, Tank. We can't let this get too far."  
  
***  
  
Pheonix groaned as the screen went completely blank, erasing even the Matrix code. "Not again," she sighed.   
Suddenly, green code flashed across the screen, reading, '...get out of the Matrix. you don't realize what your doing'  
'oh, I think I know perfectly well what we're doing,' Pheonix typed back.  
'you want the agents after you?!?' the fierce message came back.  
'too late. we're already running from them.' Saber leaned over, and typed the message in.   
No message came back for a long moment, then a message suddenly appeared. 'stay there. we're coming'  
Then the screen went completely black, and the two girls just stared at each other.  
***  
  
"I'm going in," Neo said resolutely, and headed for the chair used to access the Matrix.   
"We're all going, Neo," Morpheus said pointedly.   
Neo shrugged. "But I'm going to get those two to the rendezvous point. I have to find out how they managed that modification on the Agent's system. Besides, I'm more likely to be able to get them out."  
Morpheus sighed. "Alright, Neo. Just be careful."  
Neo gave him his infectious grin. "Of course."  
  
***  
  
The two were still staring at each other, as though trying to decide whether or not to believe that last message, when a loud, resounding crash came from the general direction of the school office, and they heard someone angrily swear. "What a stupid place to put a telephone!"  
The girl's eyes widened, but there was simply silence for a few seconds, then suddenly, another crash, much louder than the first, followed. Then, even louder shouts of disgust echoed through the empty halls, and the door to the library was suddenly flung open. Both girls swung to look at the doorway, and saw a tall, very handsome, brunette man, wearing all black leather. He turned to look at them through reflective sunglasses, and they saw his angry expression soften slightly when he saw them.  
He straightened, and in a rich, calm, voice, asked, "You the ones messing with the Matrix?"  
"Yeah," Pheonix said. "You must be Neo."  
He grinned. "The One and only."  
Saber stood up. "Good. Then you can get us out of this place. And I mean really out. As in permanently."  
Neo gave her a slight smile. "Sure. Now, were my eyes deceiving me, or did you two really walk through walls?"  
Pheonix shrugged lightly as she stood up, zipping up her light jacket. "A gift, I guess. Don't you walk through walls?"  
Neo shook his head slightly. "Never have, but then, there's a first time for everything."  
Saber's eyes widened, as she stopped in the movement of putting on a pair of sunglasses, too. "You've never walked through a wall? And we just did?!?"  
"Seems so," Neo shrugged.  
Pheonix whistled softly. "Cool," was her only statement.   
Saber rolled her eyes. "Look, we gonna get out of here, or what?"  
"Sure," Neo said casually, and made a mock bow, letting the girls precede him out of the library.   
Pheonix tested the front door, and snorted in disgust. "Locked."  
"Actually," Neo said with a little grin, "I have a master key. We could open it that way, but I've been anxious to see you walk through walls. Can you walk through glass doors the same way?"  
Pheonix shrugged. "I imagine so." Then, without pause, or any thoughts beforehand, she calmly walked through the wall. The sight was rather odd, really, watching her walk through the clear glass like it wasn't even there.   
Once outside, she turned, and coquetiquishly, waved to those still inside. Saber frowned, but Neo looked impressed. "She does that often?" he asked Saber, who looked even less impressed at the question.  
"Sometimes," she conceded.   
Neo grinned. "And you can do that too?"  
"I have," she said grudgingly, not willing to admit that it had only been once.  
"Willing to show me?" he asked, waving a hand towards the door in a mock bow.   
Saber scowled, but turned to the door, took a deep breath breath, and walked through. She finally emerged on the other side, and Pheonix grinned at her. "Nice job, Sabe. The things you'll do to impress a guy, right?"  
"Pheonix!" Saber said sharply, and smacked her friend playfully on the arm.   
A moment later, Neo appeared, stepping through the door. He shuddered, and said, "Frankly, I don't know how you two stand it. That's the weirdest feeling I've ever had."  
Pheonix shrugged. "Like I said, a gift, I guess."  
"Now, have you got a car, or do we have to drive mine?" Saber asked.   
"Yours," Neo said with a shrug.  
"I'm driving!" Pheonix cried, and raced for the car. Before the other two had even reached it, she had herself comfortably settled in the driver's seat, the keys in, and the engine iddling.  
"But you haven't got a liscence," Saber retorted sharply.  
"So? I can drive, though." she said, defensively.  
"No," Neo said calmly, "I drive. Otherwise, you'll never get to the rendezvous point."  
Pheonix scowled slightly, but slid over into the front passenger seat, which made Saber scowl. Saber climbed into the back seat, though, and sat directly behind Neo, which made Pheonix scowl even deeper.   
"Let's go, shall we?" Neo asked lightly, apparently not noticing the scowls, and put the car into gear.  
  



	2. Out of Danger?

Notes: Someone said that the two Heathers was kinda confusing. Actually, Heather Morgan and Heather Cares, save the last names, are ireal/i people. Honestly. You don't have to worry about that anymore, though, because other than the occasional name-calling by agents, these two will only go by Pheonix and Saber.   
As for another issue, it was noted that some scenes were kinda ripped off the movie. Yes, I realise the mouth-sealing scene is taken almost idirectly/i off the movie, but that's only because we were trying to show that Pheonix and Saber do have the talent to reprogram agents, though they didn't even know it themselves.   
Anyway, enough notes, so onto the story!  
  
  
Welcome to the Real World  
  
Chapter 2: Out of Danger?  
  
Neo slammed the car door, and tossed the keys to Saber. "You probably won't need those ever again, but since they're yours..."  
Saber neatly caught the keys, and pocketed them. "Thanks."   
Golden haired Pheonix slammed her door behind her, and stared up at the building looming up in front of them. "This is the rendezvous point?" She asked.   
Neo nodded. "Yeah. C'mon inside. Morpheus is waiting."  
  
***  
  
The two girls peered around Neo's shoulder into the darkened room in front of them, seeing a tall, black man sitting in a red leather armchair in the centre of the room. What little light there was reflected on his bald head and off his mirrored glasses. Seeing them, he motioned towards the two chairs, identical to his, in front of him. "Have a seat," he said in a calm, even, controlled voice.  
Pheonix slowly lowered herself into one of the chairs, and Saber sprawled in the other. A moment later, though, Saber was up again, never able to stand still. At last she settled standing up behind Pheonix's chair, arm leaning against the back of her seat.  
Morpheus watched her actions with a raised eyebrow, then said, "So, you're the two the agents captured, correct?"  
Saber nodded. "That's us."  
"And the two that modified the agent's programs?"  
Pheonix ran her fingers through her long hair. "If that's what we had to do to seal their traps, then I guess so."  
Morpheus noted the response with a quick nod of his head. "And the two that walked through walls?"  
Saber shuddered, barely perceptibly. "Yes."  
"And started deleting things in the Matrix?"  
Pheonix pointed at Saber. "Don't look at me! She did it."  
Saber shrugged. "Yeah, that was us."  
A slow smile spread across Morpheus's face, revealing perfectly white teeth. "Very good. You've managed alot in a few hours."  
Saber shrugged again. "I suppose so."  
Morpheus nodded. "I don't suppose I have to give you my carefully prepared speech about the Matrix being like the rabbit hole?"  
"And we're Alice," Pheonix said with a slight grin, leaning forward in her seat. "I don't think you do."  
"Well, then," Morpheus opened a small pill box, and held out two red pills, and two blue ones. "Which will it be?"  
Saber and Pheonix looked at the pills warily, then Pheonix rested her forehead on her hand for a moment. Then she lifted her eyes, and said, with infinite calm, "With all due respect, sir, I think we want the truth."  
Morpheus nodded, and the girls calmly took the red pills. Saber swallowed hers easily, without any water, but Pheonix reached for the glass on the small sidetable before proceeding to down the pill. She swallowed with difficulty, then cleared her throat. "Those things won't have any side effects, will they?"  
Morhpeus shrugged lightly. "We've never had a chance to conduct a study."  
Then he rose, and headed towards the door at the back of the room. The girls followed, and gaped at the room they saw. Neo, Trinity, and a young kid they didn't recognise sat at computer screens, and what looked like a barber chair sat in the centre of the room.   
Morpheus jerked his head towards the chair, and said calmly, "Saber, you're first."  
Saber sat down gingerly on the chair, and locked her eyes shut as those around her prepared everything for her to 'leave'. At last, she pried her eyes open, and looked at the mirror beside her. She gingerly stuck her hand in, and shivered as she yanked it out. That thing was icold/i!   
Then she paused, remembering how in the movie, the metal like stuff had moved upwards on Neo's arm until he was engulfed. Sure enough, the silver stuff was moving up her arm, and she could feel her arm going completely numb. Besides that, she could also feel the slightest of tugs at her arm, and realised she was being sucked iinto/i the mirror!  
She delayed it as long as she could, until she heard Trinity say, "We've got a lock!" Then she let go.  
  
***  
  
Pheonix couldn't help but gape at the chair where Saber had been sitting a moment before. That was idefinently/i the strangest thing she'd ever seen!   
Morpheus, however, acted as though people got sucked into mirrors all the time. "You're next," he said to Pheonix.   
She settled herself into the chair, and like Saber, kept her eyes closed as she steeled herself. Then, just when she was thinking it was safe to open her eyes, she heard Neo yell, "The agent's have found us! We need to get her through now!"  
"Have you got that link on me?" Pheonix asked feircely, not caring for once what they thought.  
"Yes," She heard Trinity say.  
"Then meet you on the other side!" Pheonix cried, and threw herself into the mirror.  
  
***  
  
She sucked in a gasp of air as her eyes opened, but she fought the urge to yank the tube out of her throat and flail in the liquid she floated in. She had no idea why, but somehow, she knew that she had to conserve her energy. So instead, she took a deep breathe, and eased the tube out of her throat. Then, she wiped the fluid out of her eyes, and looked around in bewilderment. Everything was so iblurry/i.   
Then she spotted a mechanical creature, one that she thought she should recognise. It was moving along the rows of red capsules, and stopped in front of one. She squinted, and saw a woman in that one, a woman with her fingers locked on the base of a cable that erupted from the base of her skull.   
Bewildered, she reached her own fingers to the base of her skull, and felt a chill go through her when she felt a metal plate on her neck. Sqinting again, she saw the woman strain her arms, then suddenly the cable lay limp in the woman's hands. The woman fell back, as though exhausted, and she winced as she saw cables suddenly go flying off the woman's body. Then there was the sound of rushing water, and the woman disappeared.  
Then the mechanical spider turned it's head towards her, and she watched the creature come towards her.   
From somewhere deep in her subconcious, her first coherent thought rose to the surface, '...I will not give them the satisfaction of disconnecting me...' and she knew suddenly what to do. Reaching up to the cable that emerged from her neck, she wrapped her stiff fingers around the base, twisted, and then pulled.   
An agony like she'd never felt shot through her back, and it felt like her limbs were on fire. She paused for a moment, trying to steady herself. The air, however, wasn't helping-it was thick, and polluted. If anything, it seemed to make things worse. Then, gathering all her remaining strength, she ripped the rest of the cables on her arms, legs, and torso out of their sockets. That hurt almost as much as the other had, but now she was ifree/i.  
The spider reached her, and cocked a mechanical head at her, as though trying to realise why she was no longer connected, at all. Then, almost negligently, it turned away, and she felt the bottom of the chamber she was in drop out from beneath her.   
She fell with the cascade of pinkish red fluid, and hit, with a tremendous splash, a whole pool of the fluid. She fought to keep to the surface, gasping in great gulps of air, and thinking that she should know how to swim, but her arms refused to co operate. Then, a huge clawlike arm caught her, and raised her out of the water. She was too weak to struggle, and lay limp as she saw the bright eye of light above her. She was raised into it, then suddenly, there were people around her, loud and bright. Someone wrapped a blanket around her shoulders, and she found herself staring at a dark man with brilliant white teeth. The last thing she heard before she fainted was his words: "Welcome to the real world, Pheonix."  
  
***  
  
Saber opened her eyes slowly. The room was too bright, too loud, and a rather foul scent reached her nose. She looked around, finding that she was so weak, her head barely would roll. To her right, several people stood, talking quietly, and to her left, she could see another woman, laying on a bed, needles covering her body like a porcupine.  
Then she heard movement beside her, and she turned to see Morpeus, smiling at her. "You should be sleeping," he said, his smile not fading. "You're very weak."  
Saber shook her head, and spoke, though her voice sounded rusty and unused, like she'd never talked in her life. And she hadn't, she realised. "Not until you answer a few questions. First, where am I? Second, what am I doing here? Third, when can I leave? Fourth, what are you doing to me? And fifth, is this the part where the good-looking guy walks up?"  
At that moment, Neo walked up beside Morpheus and smiled at her. "How are you feeling?"  
Saber sighed, and closed her eyes. "Much better now, thanks." Then, without waiting for the answers to any of her questions, she faded back into sleep.  
  
***  
  
When Pheonix opened her eyes for the first time since her emergence into the real world, she found herself lying on a semi-soft bed, a blanket over her. She sat up quickly, and looked around, breathing hard. Despite the fact that everything was extremely blurry, she could see that the room was very simple, with no mirrors, windows, or anthing except a couple of hooks on the wall, and her bed. She sighed, and ran her hand over her head.  
Then she stopped, and repeated the action. Her expression grew horrified as she discovered that her hair was only an inch and a half long. "Ahh!" She cried. "My hair! What happened to my hair!"  
She threw the blanket off herself, and stopped as she realised what she was wearing. She wore a rough brown sweater, ripped and worn. She wore a semi-white tanktop underneath, pale blue pants, like the type worn in hospitals, and a clunky pair of boots a couple sizes too large. She shoved the sleeves back off her hands, lept out of bed, and yanked the door open. She emerged into a quiet, empty corridor, and looked up and down the hall. "Hello?" She called tentively, surprised at how rough her voice sounded.  
Her voice echoed up and down the hall, and a young boy's face suddenly appeared around a corner. "Hey!" He said with a grin. "You're up!"  
The head came towards her, carried on the skinny body of a 12 year old kid. He stopped just feet away from her, and stuck out a hand. "Hi! I'm Viper. You're Pheonix, right? I really liked your work. You hacked with such style, such panache."  
Pheonix's jaw dropped. "iViper/i?!? The ihacker/i?!? You're a little kid?!?"  
He frowned slightly. "I'm not little. I'm 12. Besides, you're only 16. You're hardly one to talk."  
"But, but, I have a brother who's almost 12! I wouldn't have ithought/i about taking him out of the Matrix!"  
Viper shrugged, and grinned again. "Then it's a good thing for me that your not Morpheus, ain't it?" He lauhed, and jerked his head towards the door he'd just entered through. "I'm suppossed to bring you to see Morpheus. I'd better do so, or somebody'll have my head."  
Pheonix followed him as he led her down another, smaller side corridor. "Are you the...youngest member aboard?"  
Viper nodded. "Yep. In fact, I'm the closest one to your age, too." He looked over his shoulder and grinned at her.  
Pheonix shook her head sharply. "Sorry, kiddo. I don't go for guys over a year younger than me. Sorry."  
He shrugged. "Whatever." Then he opened a door, and led Pheonix into the hub of activity on board.   
Morpheus turned from a computer screen to smile at Pheonix. "So Viper found you, Pheonix. Good. I trust you feel rested?"  
Pheonix shrugged. "More than I have in a long time, anyway. Is...Saber up?"  
Morpheus shook his head. "She's been in the Matrix for alot longer than you have. She has alot more damage to repair. She'll probably be joining us sometime in the next few days. While your up, though, you can meet the other crew members."  
Three other people turned to look at Pheonix, and Morpheus was just opening his mouth to speak when the door swung open, and a dishevelled woman with an auburn brushcut stood in the doorway, breathless. "Don't start the introductions without me," she gasped.  
"Saber?!?" Pheonix gasped. "What are you doing up so early? Morpheus said..."  
Saber shrugged. "Maybe I'm a little tougher than you thought, Morpheus."  
Morpheus raised an eyebrow. "You should still be asleep," he said calmly, looking at her in an old woolen sweather, clunky boots, and tan pants. "You aren't fully recovered."  
Saber snorted. "For Pete's sake, I haven't felt this good in years. Of course I'm fully recovered. Now, you were going to introduce the other crew members? I'm anxious to meet them."  
Morpheus drew a deep breathe. "Of course. Now, you know Neo..."  
Neo grinned, and nodded. "Pleased to officially meet you two."  
"And Trinity," Morpheus continued.  
The woman, tall, stately, with short, black hair just nodded.  
"And this is Tank. He's our communications controller."   
A black man with a wide, open smile grinned and shook their hands. "Pleased 'ta meet ya'," he said in a cheery voice.  
"And this is the newest addition to the crew of the Nebucednezzer, child prodigy Viper."  
Viper grinned at the girls, and Saber's eyebrows shot skyward. "Little young for this kind of business, ain't ya', kid?"  
"Actually," Viper said in a superior voice, "In the case of the Matrix, it is more beneficial for those involved to be young, as their minds are more ready to adjust." He sounded like he was reciting a quote put to memory. "Therefore, no, I am not a 'little young for this kind of business'."  
Pheonix snickered. "Well there you go, Saber."  
"That comment was, in part, also aimed at you," Viper added suddenly, glaring at Pheonix. "No, I am not 'a little kid'."  
Morpheus smiled slightly. "Besides that, he's good. Very good."  
Saber shrugged. "Hey, who am I to stand in the way of progress?"  
Morpheus just nodded. "Now, it's getting late, and you must be hungry. Let's go get something to eat."  
Saber grinned. "Eat? Yes!"  
Pheonix laughed. "Apparently reality shock hasn't reduced your appetite any, Saber."  
"Of course not. Why would it?"  
Morpheus led them down a hallway, until they reached a dimly lit room with several tables in it. Morpheus walked over to the counter, and returned a moment later with a tray, carrying several bowls. "Here," he smiled, handing a bowl to both Saber and Pheonix. "Eat."  
Saber looked at the bowl with suspicion. "What is it?"  
"Food," Viper said calmly. "Or so he says. If you ask me, it's more like dinosaur boogers."  
Pheonix gave him an odd look. "And that's iexactly/i why I wouldn't have taken anyone that young out of the Matrix. They can't take ianything/i seriously."  
Viper shrugged. "Actually, joking about things helps me cope. You should really try it."  
Saber shuddered. "I'll-ah-keep that in mind. As it is, I think I'll just pass supper this time."  
"I wouldn't advise it," Tank said lightly, sitting down, carrying a bowl. "This is all we ever eat."  
"Seriously?" Saber asked trepidly, wrinkling her nose.  
Morpheus shrugged. "Didn't you hear Mouse saying it reminded him of Tasty Wheat? Think of it as that."  
Pheonix wrinkled her nose. "I never liked Tasty Wheat," she said slowly.  
Morpheus shrugged again. "Neither did I. You get used to it, though."  
Saber groaned, but pinched her nose and began to shovel the gloop into her mouth. At last, her bowl was empty, and she sat back, looking rather green. "That stuff is worse than spinach," she groaned.   
Morpheus smiled slightly. "Well, I'm glad you enjoyed it. Now, you'd better get some rest. You start training tommorrow."  
Pheonix looked up in surprise. "Why not now?"  
Trinity raised an eyebrow. "I think you'd rather get some rest first."  
Saber snorted. "We've been resting for-how long? A couple of weeks? I hardly think we need any more."  
Morpheus surveyed them with a bemused expression. "If you really want to,"  
Saber shrugged. "All we gotta do is get hooked up to a machine and get programs loaded into our brains. How hard can that be?"  
  
***  
  
Several hours later, Pheonix groaned lightly as she emerged from the Matrix. "Apparently, Saber, it was a good deal harder than just downloading programs into our brains."  
Morpheus grinned at her. "So. What'd you learn?"  
Pheonix suddenly grinned. "I know Kung Fu!"  
He smiled vaugely. "That's nice."  
"I can show you," Pheonix offered, her grin getting wider.   
Morpheus paused, and looked at the teenager. "I suppose you iwant/i to?"  
"Yes," Pheonix grinned.  
Morpheus sighed. "Alright, then. Show me."  
  
***  
  
Morpheus was the one groaning twenty minutes later, as Pheonix raced across the celing and slammed in another surprise attack. "Do you have to do that?" He demanded.  
"Why not?" Pheonix asked, actually standing on the celing. "I can bend the rules, can't I?"  
"Standing on the celing is not bending the rules, it's breaking them."  
"No," Pheonix protested. "I've just moved gravity to up here, for me. It's quite simple, really. You ought to try it."  
At that moment, Saber walked into the room in which they were fighting, and asked, "Where's Pheonix?"  
"Up here," Pheonix called.   
Saber raised an eyebrow. "Interesting."  
"Very," Morpheus growled, and suddenly the three of them found themselves on a city roof. "Now, let's see how well you do on this. Jump." With that, he turned, jumped, and landed on a building's roof at least 40 feet away.  
Saber and Pheonix just looked at each other. "Ahh...you first." Pheonix said, pointing at the other building, where Morpheus waited, arms crossed.   
"OK," Saber said equally slowly, took a deep breathe, and jumped.   
She would have made it across perfectly, had she not looked down half-way through her jump, saw how high she really was, and faltered. She managed to catch hold of the edge of the roof, and slammed into the wall. Both Morpheus and Pheonix winced, but Saber managed to pull herself up alright. "Ouch," she said weakly.  
Pheonix backed up until she reached the other side of the roof on which she stood. Then she bent forward, and ran. Just as she was about to leap, her foot caught the edge of the roof, and fell, hitting the ground far below.  
Morpheus and Saber looked at each other, and simultaniously said, "Oops."  
  
***  
  
"Relax," Trinity said with the slightest of smiles. "No one ever makes the first jump."  
"Thanks," Pheonix said sarcastically. "That makes my lower spine feel iso/i much better."  
Tank laughed, and clapped her on the shoulder, making her wince in pain. "Methinks maybe you should get some rest after all, Firebird."  
"Sure," Pheonix sighed, and slowly limped towards her room. "I just hope nobody minds if I don't move for a few days."  
  
********  
  
That's it for Part 2! Please Read and Review! 


	3. Of Agents and Oracles

Welcome to The Real World  
  
Chapter 3: Of Agents and Oracles  
  
Pheonix slammed the car door shut and looked around. This was the first time she'd actually been into the Matrix itself since they'd unplugged her and Saber. Now here they were, back in it again.   
She couldn't say she'd looked forward to it-because she hadn't. But at the same time, Pheonix had been infinently curious as to what the Oracle would tell her. She knew some of what she'd told Trinity and Morpheus, and ALL of what she'd told Neo, but she wanted to know what she would *personally* say to her. And this time, she didn't think there were any cameras watching.  
She glanced at Saber, knowing that they were thinking the same thing. Saber had on a pair of high-heeled boots, and she wore a sleek, shiny tanktop and pants. Pheonix, on the other hand, wore a loose black top, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, clunky army boots, and loose, comfortable pants. And *somebody* had apparently thought it would be funny if her hair was in little braids. She was *so* going to get Tank for that when they got back.  
She pushed her glasses up higher on her nose, and for the billioneth time wished she didn't need them. Couldn't she have contacts or something? But nooooooo, her stupid Residual Self Image kept sticking them on her. Blasted computers.  
Ah well, time to get this over with.  
  
***  
  
"After you," Morpheus said with a little smile.   
Saber mentally growled, but simply opened the apartment door and stepped inside. A woman met her just inside, and smiled sweetly. "Come in," She said in a gentle voice, and led Saber and Pheonix into a living room like area.   
Saber scanned the room. Remembering what the room looked like in the movie, she noticed that the people around the room were dramatically different. While they had been children before, now they were teenagers, and one adult, who looked extremely nervous. Saber casually sat down on the couch, and watched as Pheonix sat on the floor next to a teenager with purple hair and an eyebrow ring, with whom she was soon deep in conversation.  
She sighed, and slid down in her seat. She'd never been good at waiting. Or sitting still, for that matter. Less better at sitting still. Apparently finding the truth hadn't changed that. She shifted positions, sitting on her ankle. But then it started to go to sleep, so she moved again. And again. The girl on the couch next to her was giving her odd looks, and that one adult glared at her like she was some immature little kid.   
Just as Saber was about ready to get up and start pacing, she jumped when she heard her name. "Wha...Huh?"  
"Saber?" The woman who had shown her in smiled at her. "She will see you now."  
"Uh, right." Saber lept up, and practically ran into the kitchen. The Oracle, a small, kind of heavy woman with frizzy, greying hair, was up to her elbows in soap suds.   
"Just have a seat, deary," she said distractedly. "I'll be with you in a minute."  
Saber awkwardly took a seat at the table, and glanced around. Her eyes landed on a fly on the wall, and lazily watched it climb.   
"What are you looking at?"  
Saber jumped, and realised that the Oracle had moved, and sat across from her at the table, smiling in a motherly way.   
"Uh...know thyself." Saber said quickly, remembering the plaque.  
"Is that what it says?" The Oracle smiled, looking mildly surprised.   
Saber, puzzled, looked at the plaque. The Latin phrase that had been on the plaque had changed to a different Latin phrase.   
"It says 'I think, therefore I am'." The Oracle smiled happily.   
"Meaning...?"  
"Think." The Oracle smiled wider.  
Saber bit her lip, thinking hard. "Does it mean that if I think hard enough, I can change things in the Matrix?"  
The Oracle smiled softly, then rose and went to the cupboard. "Danish?"  
Saber gave her a blank look. "Say what?"  
"Would you like a Danish? I had the urge for one this morning, so I had one of my Children go get one. But then when they got back, I discovered I didn't really want one after all. Do you ever feel like that?"  
Saber looked in the plastic package the Oracle held forward. "All the time."  
"Well then, this should taste especially good." She nodded, and Saber reluctanly took a bite.  
The Oracle slowly sat down, and put on her glasses. She looked at Saber for a moment, chewing slowly on the Danish, then said, "I'm not going to give you a lecture on obeying authority, Saber. You're probably going to hear enough of them in the months to come. However, I will tell you this. Morpheus knows what he's doing. And everything he's doing, he's doing it because he believes that it's the best thing. Trust him, if nothing else."  
Saber smiled slowly at that. "I guess you're right."   
"Of course," The Oracle smiled, then rose. "Would you be a dear and send your friend Pheonix in? I need to have a word with her as well."  
"Sure," Saber said, and got up. "Thanks."  
"Just doing my job."  
  
***  
  
Pheonix slowly siddled into the kitchen. being very careful to avoid the vase.   
"Hello dear," The Oracle smiled at her. "Have a seat."  
Pheonix swallowed, and slowly sat down. "Any pearls of wisdom?"  
"Many. But only a few for you. Have you ever heard the phrase 'Veni, Vedi, Vici'?"  
"'I came, I saw, I conquered'. Julius Ceasar said that." Pheonix shrugged. "So?"  
"Did you realise that unconciously, that's what you've been doing?"  
"Huh?" Pheonix looked with bewilderment at the Oracle, who was grinning like the Chesire cat.  
"You realised what the Matrix is, so you 'came'. Then you began to understand how to figure it out, so you 'saw'. Then, you began to change things. You have begun to 'conquer'." The Oracle smiled. "You have been unconciously living the words of Ceasar. For instance, walking through walls."  
"Yeah, how was I able to do that anyway?" Pheonix asked, sitting up. "Morpheus doesn't know."  
"You did it because you didn't realise you couldn't. Noone ever specifically said, 'Pheonix, I've tested walking through walls, and it doesn't work, so don't bother trying.' Even if you did try after you heard that, you probably wouldn't be able to do it because you don't think it can be done. Don't listen to anybody when they tell you something can't be done. Never."  
Pheonix smiled slowly. "So, I can do almost anything?"  
The Oracle smiled. "Don't start thinking too highly of yourself. You can't do *anything*. You can do a great many things that noone has even thought of doing before. But noone, not even Neo can do anything they want."  
Pheonix shrugged. "But, I could try, right? I mean, I don't know the limits of what I can do."  
"No one does. That's why you can do the things you do, because you don't know what the limits are. Just don't forget that this is a world based on rules. You can break some, and bend others, but someday you'll break a rule for which there are consequences. Don't ever give up, Pheonix, but always be careful about it."  
Pheonix slowly shook her head. "So I can push the barriers, but not too far?"  
"Precisly." The Oracle rose and went to the cupboard, returning with a cake tin. "Cupcake?"  
Pheonix looked inside. There were two cupcakes, both identical with white icing, except for one thing. One cupcake had a red jellybean on top, one had a blue. "Is this some kind of joke?" She demanded, angry.  
"Of course not. Make a choice."  
For a long moment, Pheonix stared at the two cupcakes. Then her hand slowly reached inside, and pulled one out. Calmly, she plucked the red jelly-bean off the top and popped it in her mouth. "I made my desicion," she said calmly, proudly. "And I will stick with it."  
The Oracle smiled like a proud mother. "I knew you would."  
  
***  
  
Pheonix left the room, to see Saber talking quietly to the girl she'd been talking with. The girl's name was Shadow, and she was also unplugged. Not by Morpheus, but by another group of computer hackers, rebels. She was a little older than Pheonix, but not by much. She seemed to be what most people thought of when they thought of computer hackers, a girl with attitude and jewellary in odd places and dressing always in black.  
Pheonix sighed. Shadow was a really nice girl, but she was a little, well, *wild* compared to what Pheonix was used to. Not that she was complaining, it was just that she wasn't used to spending time with that type of person. Sure, she'd been the one to initiate conversation, but she had been nervous, lonely, wondering if her desicion to enter the truth had been the right one. She'd needed comfort, solstice, another opinion. She needed to talk to someone she didn't know, someone who would look at her situation with fresh eyes. And of all the people in the room, she was sure that this girl, Shadow, would be the most honest, the most understanding.  
And she had been right. Shadow had completely understood, had sympathised with her when she told her that, despite how annoying they often got, that she missed her parents, her three brothers, her little sister. How she wished at times that she had just ignored the things she found on the computer and gone on with her life. She knew that was impossible-honestly, now that she'd seen it, she *needed* the truth, and she knew she would never go back. But she had needed to say it, needed to get her fear out in the open. She couldn't talk to anyone on the Neb, because they all already had opinions on what she would say. But she had to say it to *someone*.   
And she felt better for doing so. But *how* had the Oracle known about her doubts, her fears? Freaky.  
She shook her head to clear it, and said, softly, "Saber?"  
The older girl jumped, and glanced at Shadow. The purple-headed teenager smiled, and Saber stood up. "All ready to go," She said briskly.   
Pheonix nodded, and they headed out into the hall where Morpheus waited. He rose when they entered, and motioned to the door.   
Together, they walked out.   
  
***  
  
Morpheus turned the key, the others sitting in the back of the car, waiting. The car didn't start. Frowning, he turned the key again. Still it didn't start. Trinity, who sat in the front seat beside him looked at him in puzzlment, and Saber, Pheonix and Viper leaned over the backs of their seats to see what was the matter.   
"Is something wrong?" Saber asked nervously.  
Morpheus popped the hood, and they all climbed out. "The spark plugs are missing," he frowned. "Does anyone know how this happened?"  
Trinity and Viper looked at each other. "We were guarding the car the whole time," Trinity frowned. "Nothing happened to the car."  
"Oh, no..." Viper said slowly.   
"I don't like the sounds of that," Morpheus said.  
"There was this guy that walked past, in the alley, and I thought maybe I was seeing things or something, but I thought I saw the guy walk past again. Do you think...they changed something or something?"  
"Quite likely. Since they didn't know where we are, they couldn't just attack, but they can change everything, even if they don't know where it is." Trinity shook her head. "What do we do, Morpheus?"  
"We get out other ways. Trinity, Viper, you come with me. Saber and Pheonix, you'd better take the subway system to get to the rendezvous. It'll be safer, they won't be looking there." He adjusted his glasses, and sighed. "Go. Now."  
Pheonix and Saber turned, and raced along the street. For the first time since they'd entered the Matrix, Pheonix was actually glad she was wearing loose, comfortable clothes. It would have been pretty hard to run in skin-tight leather. She grabbed the cellphone she'd been given out of her pocket, and dialed. The line was busy.  
"Great," she muttered, and hurtled after Saber. They raced along the street, dogging pedestrians, jumping over benches, even leaping over the hoods of cars when they raced across the street against the lights.   
Saber raced down the steps of the subway, and Pheonix followed, flipping open the cell phone again. This time, when she dialed, the phone actually began to ring. "Operator," came the voice on the other end.  
"Tank, this is Pheonix."  
"Yeah, Firebird, I heard. You and the others split up. Head downtown to the warehouse sector. The roof of the building on the corner of Dawson and Wellsy."  
"Thanks, Tank. And don't call me Firebird." Pheonix flipped the phone shut, and called to Saber, "Downtown!"  
Saber nodded, and tossed tokens at the ticket taker. Together, they jumped over the ticket stiles, and raced into the station. There, they paused, waiting nervously for the subway to arrive. Saber was reading the posters as Pheonix looked around when Pheonix froze. "Uh, Sabe?" She asked, tapping her friend on the shoulder.   
"What?" Her friend asked, not moving.  
"You might wanna see this," she said slowly, pointing discreetly behind them.  
Saber slowly turned around, and paled. "Agent!" She hissed.   
"I noticed," Pheonix said sarcastically. "Did you notice how young he is? He's the same one that I saw when we escaped the first time."  
"Great," Saber groaned. "It would at least be better if there were anyone else actually in the station."  
Pheonix glanced around, trying not to attract the agents attention. Sure enough, there was noone else anywhere, not even the ticket agent. "So, what do we do?"  
"Nothing, and hope he doesn't notice us." Saber hissed.  
Pheonix glanced discreetly over her shoulder, to see the agent walking towards them. "Nothing doing, Sabe. He's already on his way."  
"Uh, hope the subway gets here really soon?"  
"You know subways. Never there when you need them!" Pheonix yelled the last part of her speech, spinning and slamming a kick in the agent's direction. She missed, of course, in that he ducked, but before she could move her leg back, he slammed back up again, caught her leg, and flipped her.   
Pheonix hit the ground with a thud, and rolled out of the way as the agent slammed his heel into the place where her face had been a moment before. Saber angrily struck at the agent, but he too avoided her attack.   
Distracted by Saber's continuous attack, the agent didn't notice Pheonix slowly move, then suddenly scissor kick him, knocking him to the floor. She lept up, and smirked at the agent still lying on the floor. "Wimp."  
His reaction was immediete. Before either girls could move, the agent slammed his legs out, and with a snapping scissor, threw both the girls to the ground at once. Saber let out a groan, and clutched her shoulder. The agent ignored her, and lunged at Pheonix. He slammed his elbow into her throat, and Pheonix let out a painful gasp.  
"Admit it!" He snarled.  
Wheezing, Pheonix rasped "Get...off!"  
"Admit it!" He practiaclly yelled. "Admit I'm not a wimp! Admit it!!"  
Taking advatage of his disraction, she brought her hands up and slammed them into his gut. He let out a gasp, but didn't release his hold. Instead, he twisted, and together the two fell off the platform and onto the tracks.   
Saber limped to the edge, and looked over. Pheonix and the agent were struggling mightily, and for a moment, Pheonix broke free. Before she could get away though, the agent snagged her again, and locked her in a vicious headlock. "You disappiont me, Miss Morgan," he growled.  
Pheonix twisted, trying to get loose. "The name is Pheonix!"  
He laughed. "Is it?" He squeezed the headlock tighter. "I always thought your name was Heather Morgan."  
"It was. In another lifetime." Pheonix bared her fingernails, and dug them into the tender part of the agent's hands.   
"Ouch!" He yelled, and while he was off guard, Pheonix pulled herself out of the way.   
And not a moment too soon, either. Just entering the station was the long awaited subway. Saber used her good arm to help pull Pheonix up, and she got on the top seconds before the subway raced past the spot where she'd just been. She glanced down a moment, not seeing the agent.   
"C'mon," Saber growled, and raced into the door of the now stopped subway. Pheonix paused a nanosecond, and followed her. The car was completely empty, and the two looked back and forth nervously. "Too empty," Saber frowned. "Too suspicious."  
A door at the other end of the car opened, and in stepped the agent. "I'll say," Pheonix gasped, turned, and jumped onto one of the seats.  
"What are you doing?!" Saber cried, backing away from the agent, who was steadily and purposely walking towards them.   
Pheonix reached up, and plunged her hands through the roof. "There is no spoon," she snarled, and with a grunt, pulled herself *through* the roof.  
Saber watched as the agent paused, his eyes wide, and bit her lip. "Alright Pheonix, we've take this your way." She lept up onto the seat, took a deep breathe, and pulled herself through.  
Pheonix helped her friend up onto the roof, and grinned ferally. "I'd like to see him try *that*."  
*SLAM!*  
Both froze.  
*SLAM!*  
"What was that?"  
*SLAM!*  
Saber swallowed. "I think he's trying."  
*SLAM!*  
Both let out a cry as a fist suddenly plunged through the roof immedietly in front of them.   
"Move!" Pheonix yelled, and began skidding along the top of the roof, avoiding the top of the tunnel, and cautiously skirting the hole that the agent had made in the roof. Saber followed cautiously, but as she passed the hole, the agent's hand shot out and seized Saber's ankle.   
"Hey!" Saber yelled, and with her other shoe, slammed her pointed toe into the agent's hand. There was a yelp, and the agent released her foot. "Sheesh, man that agent *is* a wimp," she growled as she continued crawling.  
Suddenly, they emerged into the light, and Pheonix yelled, "Here's our stop!" and lept off.   
Saber followed. They barely even had hit the ground before they started running. "Where are we going?" Saber yelled.   
"Dawson and Wellsy!" Pheonix called over her shoulder as they left the subway and emerged onto the street.  
There was silence for the next few minutes as the girls sprinted down the streets. Pheonix was frankly amazed at it all. Before she'd left the Matrix, she *never* would have been able to do this-she would have been doubled over long ago, unable to breathe. It was amazing what knowing the truth and realising what she could really do could do to a person.   
Pheonix spotted a street sign-Dawson-and called, "It's coming up, Saber!"   
The other girl didn't respond, but just followed. Together, they ducked into the little alley at the side of the building on the corner, and raced to the fire exit.   
"Stop!" A voice suddenly yelled, and both turned just long enough to see the same agent emerge from the subway station behind them, gun drawn. Then both ignored him and began barelling up the fire escape.   
Bullets whizzed at them, ricocheting off the metal, sometimes getting dangerously close. When he'd emptyed his clip, he began racing up after them. Pheonix reached the second last balcony, and as she turned to help Saber up, the gun spoke again. Saber, who was almost up to Pheonix, let out a cry of pain, and stumbled, blood spurting from her leg.   
"Saber!" Pheonix yelled, and running forward, helped her friend limp up the last few steps. "Get up there," she growled, pushing her friend up the last stairs. "I'll deal with him."  
  
****  
  
Tank stared at the screen. "What does that kid think she's doing?!?" He yelped. "Firebird!" He yelled at the screen. "This is no time to be noble!"  
  
***  
  
The agent wasn't expecting Pheonix to be pressed against the wall when he turned the corner. Neither did he expect her to kick out, knocking the gun out of his hands. "Hey!"  
So it was easy to guess he didn't expect her to slam forward and body check him hard enough to send him hurtling over the railing of the fire escape.   
Granted then, it was her turn not to expect something-him to snag her boots and drag her over with him.  
Pheonix let out a gasp of fear, and her hands reached blindly-and caught the railing. There was a painful jerk as her arms were nearly ripped out of her sockets, and a sudden jerk on her leg as the agent clinging to her leg also slowed.   
She grit her teeth, and looked down. The agent was clinging to her leg, and through gritted teeth, he growled, "Don't move. Just don't move."  
She looked up at the railing, and ignoring the agent's order, began to drag herself up and over the railing.  
"I told you not to move, you idiot!" The agent yelled, and Pheonix felt a sudden jerk on her leg that pulled her back down. She almost lost her grip, and tried to contain a yelp of pain.  
Suddenly, the weight on her leg was gone, and she looked down in surprise. The agent had let go, and swung so that he landed on the balcony below. He glared at her, then began to steadily, slowly march up the fire escape again.   
Pheonix growled, and pulled herself up, and over the railing. Not wanting to repeat that, she turned and raced up the ladder, seconds before the agent reached her. Panting, she emerged on the roof to face Morpheus, Viper, Trinity and Saber-steps ahead of the agent.  
The agent pulled himself up behind her-just as the phone began to ring.   
He pulled a gun out of his jacket, and trained it straight on Morpheus. "Don't answer that," he growled. "Just let it ring."  
Pheonix swallowed, and narrowed her eyes. He was an agent, sure, but he reacted oddly-acting like a typical teenaged male with weapons on a power trip, in fact.   
In that moment, she decided to act. She stepped to right in front of the agent. He paused, staring at her in confusion.   
She lifted her hand, holding it in front of his face, then suddenly plunged her hand *into* his face. Her hand should have emerged on the other side, but though she plunged her arm in up to the shoulder, it didn't come out.   
Jaws dropped, and even Pheonix's face was shocked, like she had no idea that what she'd been about to do was *this*.  
Then she pulled her hand out, and stared at the agent in shock, who looked at her like she'd just told him that the Matrix was gone.   
Pheonix slowly turned, and stared at the others. "Guys," she said slowly, swallowing, "Meet Agent Minor."  
  
****  
  
Well, what do you think? Sorry for the delay on it coming out, but don't worry, I hope to have chapter four out soon!   
Please R/R! 


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